As much as you want to be the one who unpacks him and puts him in his tree do as much as possible, as soon as possible or you may regret it. I think we both know your mum will be fine with it so don't keep the little guy in there a minute longer than he needs to be ;)
It sucks but the bigger picture is our local species are a lot less likely to be wiped out by a foreign bred virus or parasite.
South African wildlife experts are arguably the best in the world so you can imagine there was quite a bit of foresight that went into these decisions.
I think it rocks! Good on your for experimenting and trying something new. Only by challenging what is known will we discover better ways of doing things.
As mentioned before water within the system can be used very successfully to grow plants completely organically, its just a matter of...
Haha last try: Printed out one of Jan's pics of her boy in full bloom and snuck up on George's cage. No luck :P
Oh and thanks for the other suggestions: tried him in a tree and waking him up but no luck. Ended up having to climb the tree, little guys faster than you think :D
Remember ants mark food with pheromones so you can be certain your containers are covered in them. The boiling water should have helped a bit but I would give them a thorough clean (maybe even with a bit of diluted bleach) so the little buggers don't find their way back.
Your cham is the closer in shape and colour than any other cham I've seen on these forums :D
Mine has those colours exactly: the slightly darker browns inside under lights and then the lighter greens when hes in the sun (unless hes a bit chilly then he uses more browns to catch more sun.)...
George is close on a year now and I have yet to see him in full bloom, as it were. He has a very comfortable routine and a lot of his own space and hiding spots so I've never seen him more than mildly irritated,he has never used his colors in aggression or courting.
The closest I've come is...
Love this! Thanks for taking time to detail it. I'm really impressed by your refinement of the housing and inner workings!
Heres a million dollar idea:
How about making a small weight activated platform that turns the mister on?
A few simple springs and a waterproof switch, maybe even build...
I'd get him. :)
Its possible that the store may not look after him properly.
Its definite that you could look after him well and give the little guy a good life.